Chinese Herbal Medicine

Although acupuncture was the first Chinese medical modality to gain wide acceptance in the West, Chinese herbal medicine is quickly establishing itself as a popular and effective therapy and in China is the main modality of treatment within TCM.

How is Chinese herbal medicine different?
Chinese herbal medicine is conceptually and clinically different from western pharmaceutical drugs and even western folk herbalism. The model of western medicine treats diseases or symptoms without regard to their cause or etiology and side efffects are both common and accepted.

In comparison, a TCM patient receives a herbal prescription designed to treat the symptom or disease but also the underlying root cause or patterns. In order to treat the entire individual without side effects a typical TCM formula may contain 6 to 18 different herbs. What makes Chinese herbal formulas safe is not that they inculde "natural" ingredients but more importantly that they are prescribed to treat the entire individual.

How are Herbs Administered?
The traditional method of preparing herbs is to cook the raw herbs in water to form a decoction or tea. Depending on the condition and circumstances, the herbal practitioner may recommend taking the herbs in pill form, as an extract or in a powdered or granulated form.

What is Chinese herbal medicine good for?
Chinese herbal medicine (internal medicine) is appropriate for both acute and chronic conditions. It treat acute diseases, like intestinal flu and the common cold, as well as chronic diseases, such as allergies, gynecological disorders, chronic degenerative and viral diseases.

Chinese herbal medicine can also be used preventively for many conditions including providing help to women avoid many menopausal complaints, as well as people suffering from seasonal allergies. Chinese herbal formulas are also available for cancer patients to help diminish the side effects of chemo and radiation therapy.